Worsley Works Tender Chassis.

This etch in nickle silver will be the undercarriage for the Tender for a Brittania.
I have slowly been amassing the bits to make a proper job of the Tri-ang body, of which I have two.
This will be a long term project and will use the Society square axle drivers.
I already have Worsleys chassis kit plus motor and gears so really just need the wheels to be able to start.

Brynkits Bedford OB

You may remember the completed model that appeared some time ago.
At the AGM I managed to find a new, unstarted kit on the Secondhand stall.
Hopefully I can build it and show how I did it!
The kit contains a Resin casting of the main body and the chassis with seating attached. Whitemetal parts are supplied for the Grille, wheels and axles.
Glazing is also included with a template to copy onto the supplied clear plastic.
Looking forward to making this one- then I can start a fleet!

2012 3MM Society AGM

This year annual event was attended by about a hundred members in the Methodist Church, Knowle, Bristol.
Sadly it saw the exit of Richard Pope as Secretary after twenty years in the post. However a new incumbant was installed- good luck Steve!
The new wagon this year is the LNER 20 Ton Lowmac NV. A crisp, delicate moulding well up to the usual standards- hopefully I will complete the brass  Lowmac I have before embarking on this one!
Several new items were available from the indpendant traders but I will tell you all about them in the coming days.

3MM Society AGM

This Saturday sees the 47th AGM of our august society. Held this year in Bristol it provides a showcase for those that have taken the effort to build some models for us to admire.
Most of my modelling this year is firmly6 stuck to the baseboards of Teignford.
So- I will have to choose some rolling stock to enter into the competitions as it is too far to carry a baseboard to the venue.
Also will ba able to collect my M7 kit from Worsley Works.

Collett 0-6-0- Baby Castle

At long last the Collett Goods has a layout to run on!
Built by Nigel Cullimore from a Gem kit, the cab and boiler have been reduced in width from the original.
Fitted with a modified Brynkits chassis, power is provided by a Mashima 9/16 open frame motor and the gearbox a 40:1 product from Branchlines, Westbury.
Now fully run in, the loco is a sweet runner and more than capable of pulling ten wagons.
Pictured here on Teignford at the Wilton Exhibition.

Everyone needs support !

There are several ways to support your layout.
From screwing securely to the wall to custom made boards from one of the many layout manufacturers.
I use two types, and I will start with the humble tressle. Basically four equal lengths of, in this case, wood are hinged at the top. Then it has to be decided how wide they must be nd spacers screwed to the two hinged sets of legs. To keep them square I attach some thin MDF or hardboard as can be seen. Believe it or not, these tressles can support my weight and only have one and a half by half inch soft wood legs.
Cheap and cheerful they have many uses when not supporting the layout.

Hennock Sneaks into Railway Modeller.

Just perusing the latest, June, edition of Railway Modeller.
I had a nice surprise. On page 541 was a picture of Hennock. The shot shows Hennocks shapely legs which demonstrates the type of support which can be used for layouts.
Nice surprise!

Churches.

I am not a religious person but the form that chuches and there modifications fascinate me.
I stumbled across the village of Beckington and its village church. this appears to be a mish-mash of styles. How is it that such a structure could be built with the capacity to house a greater number of people than could be accomodated in the locale?
However, this is not relevant to my modelling as only a small part of the Parish can be accomodated, and the church will probably not be modelled in its entirity.
But! I have realised that taking photos such as these stike a chord and make my modelling more pleasurable -how I wish I had a Digital camera at the end of steam!

Finding a Prototype

Recently whilst visiting a friend in Devon, I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the local architecture.
This terrace of houses is built in local red stone- I don't know the scientific name, and stands above the road on a walled embankment.
There has been some renovation at some time as the original doorways can be made out where they have been filled in.
This terrace will be the basis for a model which will grace Teignford at some time, plus I have other interesting locations that I will probably bore you with in the future!

Decision Time!

As the debut of Teignford draws ever nearer, I have decisions to make. One that has already been made is to amalgamate the two blogs. This is one of  expedience as much of what may have been written in the future has already been covered in the endless mutterings of how a layout came to be built.
Teignford has taken much of my spare time and has not allowed me to construct the many kits and projects in the to do drawer. I have several coaches to be started and finished, locos to be built, and wagons described and made.
I have comments about some of the posts subjects that deserve an answer and update, so Dorset 3mm will become the only blog dedicated to all things 3mm.
As preparations for the next show are made the posts may not be as regular, but, hopefully will become more of interest to you.
I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of pages viewed and hope that you will bear with me over the next few weeks. May is a busy month with an exhibition, AGM and Group Meeting over three weekends plus much family work to be done. Keep watching-